MarCum VX-1i vs. Humminbird Ice 55

[HowSwedeItIs]

So I'm looking at both of these units- I'd really like to get a flasher but I'm trying to figure out which has the best value for what I do. I'm usually fishing in 30 FOW or less, but depending on the day I target all of our staple game fish species, and would like to go deep for lakers sometime. Would the Ice 55 really do a much better job than the MarCum? I don't really want to cheap out but I also don't want to spend an extra 200 bucks if I don't have to

[sns2]

I bought an Ice 55 on boxing day. Drove to Slave. Dang thing wouldn't work. I got a lemon. Back to Cabelas. Went Marcum LX6S. Went out with it today. Very happy with it.

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[RavYak]

The VX1 is a good basic unit but key word on the basic. The Ice 55 has more power, dual beam, adjustable zoom, digital depth readouts, larger display, more colours etc.

This is like comparing an Ugly Stick to a GLoomis rod... You just can't do it because the 2 are in completely different classes. Only mechanical Marcum comparable to the Ice 55 is the LX-5.

To answer your question a VX-1 will do the job for almost everyone but if you want a flasher that will be far superior in deep water(30+) then get the Ice 55.

[FishHunterPro]

:argue2:So I'm looking at both of these units- I'd really like to get a flasher but I'm trying to figure out which has the best value for what I do. I'm usually fishing in 30 FOW or less, but depending on the day I target all of our staple game fish species, and would like to go deep for lakers sometime. Would the Ice 55 really do a much better job than the MarCum? I don't really want to cheap out but I also don't want to spend an extra 200 bucks if I don't have to

The VX1i is a great unit I'm sure but it has nothing on the Ice 55 or any of the top flashers of any brand. If you have the money then it's no question that the better one will be more useful down the road .

[FishHunterPro]

The VX1 is a good basic unit but key word on the basic. The Ice 55 has more power, dual beam, adjustable zoom, digital depth readouts, larger display, more colours etc.

This is like comparing an Ugly Stick to a GLoomis rod... You just can't do it because the 2 are in completely different classes. Only mechanical Marcum comparable to the Ice 55 is the LX-5.

To answer your question a VX-1 will do the job for almost everyone but if you want a flasher that will be far superior in deep water(30+) then get the Ice 55.

This is pretty much spot on with my thinking, I like my LX5 and the new Vexilar flx28 I bought last year. Were I seen my vexilar really shine over my lx5 was for laker fishing in deep water, the thing is way more responsive and faster and definitely a better return on lures .

[HowSwedeItIs]

Thank you all for the feedback, for how I usually fish the Marcum seems like it'll do nicely.

[Kim473]

I would get the 55. I have had the 45 for all most 10 years and love it. almost time to replace it though. Getting old and tiered.:thinking-006: Just like me.

[honker_clonker]

I've owned both of the units in question and fished them over the last 3 years. I'd take the marcum since it has better screen resolution than the humminbird. I've never had trouble marking a tube in 120 fow with my vx1 but I did with my ice 55. I did just sell both of those to get 2 more FL20 vexilars though.

[35 whelen]

I bought an Ice 55 on boxing day. Drove to Slave. Dang thing wouldn't work. I got a lemon. Back to Cabelas. Went Marcum LX6S. Went out with it today. Very happy with it.

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You didn't try it before you went ice fishing what was wrong with it I've had mine 5 years works great know two other guys with them also

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[sns2]

It powered up fine. Demo mode worked fine. Got to the lake and it wouldn't pick up hook no matter what you did. Fella with me who had one, swapped transducers with me. That was not the problem either. Control unit was a lemon.

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[RavYak]

It powered up fine. Demo mode worked fine. Got to the lake and it wouldn't pick up hook no matter what you did. Fella with me who had one, swapped transducers with me. That was not the problem either. Control unit was a lemon.

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No it was a bad transducer, worked fine when I actually swapped transducers rather then battery cables lol...

[sns2]

Should have watched closer, but I figured a had an engineer working out problem, so all was golden.

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[Wes_G]

I have a 5 year old XV-1. My old man bought an ice 35 at Canadian tire before x mas because they were $60 off!. 1st thing I immediately didn't like upon setting the ice 35 up was the 2 cords..... WHY? They need to figure that out and get ride of that second cord. Second thing I didn't like was the float system when the Marcum has the arm that holds the cord out into the hole. I found the float always in the way (in 1 day of fishing) as it never sat straight up and down in the hole. Third thing. The Ice 35 doesn't come with a case. About the only thing we liked about it was that the display is about twice the size of the Marcum. The nail in the coffin however was when the screen was tilted up and the unit shut off. After fiddling around with switches we discovered there is a short in the power connection in the back of the screen. The unit has been returned to Canadian tire and another XV-1 is on order from Cabelas.